Rickert earns championship honors

The five-day Sandpoint Select High Performance Tennis Clinic came to an end on Friday, July 15.

The attendees of the clinic gave off a contagious energy that made the five-day camp extremely enjoyable.

"The quality of play, the energy, and the camaraderie was impressive for the entire clinic," Sandpoint High School tennis coach Kent Anderson said. " It is truly amazing getting this level of quality tennis in Sandpoint every year. It felt like a national training camp."

Pepper Rickert finished camp with overall champion honors.

She won the 3-Point camp championship for the second straight year, beating Matthew Norton in a tie-breaker, 7-1 in the championship.

Norton is a junior on the Sandpoint High School team and was third at the Class 4A District I-II tournament last spring.

Rickert is an eighth grader at Sandpoint and has been selected to train with the United States National Team.

She won the national team championship last winter in Tucson, Arizona.

The Bombers defeated the Rollers 68-67 to win the Clinic team championship.

During the clinic, the players are divided into two teams each year and go head-to-head in a series of 15 doubles matches.

This years edition was a close one; infact, Anderson went on to describe it as the closest contest in the 14-year history of the event.

Anderson would also extend his thanks to the clinic's sponsors: Steven Anderson Dentistry & Yokes Fresh Market, along with the coaches, Cici Rickert, Khloe Kyllonen, Kent Stadum, Robin McGeorge, Steve Kirby, Jeff Emmer, Kimberlin Wagner, Denali Terry, Olivia Petruso, Josh Embree, and Tyler Korn.